Together
by JackDante
Summary: Star Ocean Till The End of Time Albel Nox and Nel Zelpher have an interesting encounter. Set near the end of the game, potential spoilers!


(Disclaimer: All characters belong to Square Enix. Apologies also to Tri-Ace. This is just one of many possible situations that could occur during SOTTEoT depending on which characters you choose to take, and how you choose to see them interacting... This short possibility is set after Fayt returns to Elicoor II following the enlightening visit to Arkives and Gemity, having taken Roger and Peppita as the other party members.)

* * *

The air shimmered as another flaming corpse hit the ground, clouds of parched dust mingling with plumes of fiery smoke and obscuring the lone swordsman's vision as he re-sheathed his blade and gave his defeated opponent a firm kick in the ribs. He'd long since lost track of the passage of time since he'd travelled down here to the Urssa Lava Caves, the days - weeks? - quickly blending into one long training session, one long road towards proving himself worthy. He was growing stronger already, he knew; he could feel his muscles aching and tightening, his reflexes becoming honed to battle, his defensive stance improving with every blow that he took. How long had it been since he'd even slept? He'd found what seemed to be an abandoned workshop a few days ago, and even though the tumbledown pallet in the corner had been covered in what looked like rabbitfur he'd rested there for a few hours, but after that, hecouldn't remember; all that mattered now was strength, victory, supremacy...

Behind him, something moved. Quick as lightning, he whirled to meet his unknown assailant - for, down here, how could another living creature be anything but an enemy? - and tried to control his ragged breathing, still winded from his recent fight. Warily, he scanned the bare rocks for any sign of life, clutching at the hilt of his katana with white knuckles, the plates of his clawed armour scraping against each other as he moved. Perhaps it was that Fayt boy again, come to finish him off, to put him out of his misery; in a way, it would be a relief of sorts, having lost to him yet again. If he could be beaten by a mere boy, how could he hope to take on any of the creatures that had supposedly come out of the celestial ships, or the Executioners that Fayt's blonde man-friend seemed so concerned about?

"Albel Nox." A shape stepped out from behind a rocky outcrop, catching the swordsman by surprise; she noted his haggard appearance, his bloodstained tunic. "Have I come at a bad time?"

"Nel Zelpher." Nox lowered his sword and gave an irritated snort, drawing himself up to his full height in order to stare down his nose at her. Of all the people he would have expected to see down here, she was certainly not one of them; she was a sworn enemy, his nemesis! What business did she have coming down here to interrupt his private training? His anger was obvious as he glared at her, his hate for her smouldering in his scarlet eyes. "The Crimson Blade. The saviour of Airyglyph. And to what do I owe this unexpected visit? Did Fayt tell you I was here? Have you, too, come here just to make fun of me? Because if you have, Aquarian - I don't _need _your pity!"

"Do I _look_ like I've come all the way down here just to mock you?" She swept her arms downwards, indicating the mudstains on her travel-worn boots, the spatters of blood on her torn clothes. "You presume far too much, Albel. Perhaps they should have called you 'The Arrogant' as well as 'The Wicked'."

"Very amusing, worm. Very well, then; if you haven't come to laugh at me... then why _are _you here?" His hand strayed again to the hilt of his katana, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. The Aquarian weasel had been able to sneak into Airyglyph and spirit away Fayt and Cliff without much trouble; who was to say she wasn't about to lure him into a trap, lulling him into a false sense of security so she could knife him in the back when he wasn't looking? He didn't trust her - but, then again, he didn't really trust anyone. "Is it a final battle you want? Do you want to take your anger out on me, get your revenge for the hundreds of Aquarians I killed during the war? If that's the case, I can guarantee you a difficult battle..."

"This isn't about the war, Albel."

"No?" the swordsman sneered, his voice taking on a sickly, mocking tone. "I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised; after all, you already know that it was Woltar who slew your father, and you and him _are _best friends now, aren't you?"

"And just what do you mean by that?" Now it was Nel's turn to be on her guard, her own hands reaching for the dagger that had once belonged to her father but had now been returned to her by Count Woltar. "True, Airyglyph and Aquaria are no longer at war, but that doesn't mean I want to be any more civil than I have to!"

"You could have fooled me!" Albel hissed, warming to the subject. "In fact, I bet that's why you're here now, isn't it? I bet that old dog Woltar sent you so you could keep an eye on me, maybe even kill me... I'm sure I'm nothing but a problem for him now, a rather skilled, sword-wielding problem! Ha! Well, if you're going to be my assassin, you could at least admit that it was Count Woltar who sent you!"

"Nobody sent me." Her reply was simple, matter-of fact. "Her Majesty knows I'm away from Aquios, but I've not mentioned this to anyone else. I'm here because I want to be, because there are some things we have to talk about. If you want to act like the civilised grown-up you like to think you are, then get your hand away from your weapon and we can have a sensible discussion - or, if you'd rather act like a spoiled brat, I'll leave now and you can stay here and sulk for as long as you like. Which is it going to be?"

_"Spoiled brat?"_ His cheeks flushed with anger as she levelled her accusations at him, but he kept a firm hold on his tongue; to snap back at her would only validate her insults. He gave a weary sigh and let his hand fall away from his blade, crossing his own arms across his chest. "Fine, then. We'll do thingds your way. What's so important that you had to race down here and tell me, hmm?"

"It's about our kingdoms - about what happens to us, now that the celestial ships have gone." Satisfied that Albel would listen to her sensibly, she perched herself on the edge of a large boulder, crossing her legs and resting her arms on her knees - comfortable enough to seem relaxed, yet ready to pounce should the conversation turn nasty. "Things seem to be getting better, but what about this business with the Creator that Fayt mentioned? What will happen to us should the Executioners come here?"

"So he talked about that with you, too." Albel nodded, still keeping a wary eye on the Crimson Blade. "I suppose it had crossed my mind, but is it really something we have to think about? After all, we are but weapons of our respective countries; you do as the Queen asks, whereas I follow Airyglyph's orders, provided that they make tactical sense."

I bet you do, Nel thought to herself. She knew that Albel was probably so caught up in his angst-ridden quest to better Fayt in combat that the future of Aquaria and Airyglyph barely even mattered to him any more. But, then again, that was precisely why she had come here - to make him see. To make him care. It could be likened to getting blood out of a stone.

"That may well be so, but who will lead the troops into battle, now that their most able commanders are dead? Who will pass down the knowledge of the art of war, the skill of the sword, the wisdom of the seasoned veteran? We both know Woltar is growing too old for such things, and Arzei has a country to run, busying himself with the affairs of the state. Isn't it about time you went back to Airyglyph?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were flattering me."

"It's not flattery if it's the truth." The Runologist shrugged impassively. "Airyglyph needs you, Albel..."

"And so do you." The swordsman barely surpressed a smile as the truth of the situation began to dawn on him. He'd been a fool not to notice it before.

"I... what?" Nel stammered, caught off-guard, her cheeks flushing. "Albel, I... Albel..."

"_You _need me. That's why you came, isn't it?" He sighed deeply, closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly from side to side, his long, braided hair swaying behind him as he did so. "I should have seen it coming; I should have known. You spared my life at least once, when I begged for us to fight to the death; you raised very few objections when I was needed to speak to Crosell; and now, you come here of your own free will, because you were thinking about me. For all your frowning and posturing, Nel Zelpher, you don't _hate _me after all, do you...?"

Before he could even blink, Nel was on her feet, her daggers sliding from their sheaths, her fingers moving in a pattern that would call forth a deadly wave of magic, and she was pointing at him, sending the spell in his direction; he gasped, raising his hands against the pain that never came. He turned on his heel as he realised what had happened - he'd been so self-indulgent in his smug rant that he hadn't even noticed the repulsive hags creeping up on him from behind. One had already been felled by Nel's magic by the time he was able to draw his sword, and he managed a grateful smile as he cast asidelong glance at the Aquarian, hacking at the other monster before it could cut him down. More and more of the foul things were coming, they could both see; there were hags and zombies,flaming ghost-creatures and beings which looked like they had been created from the very lava itself, and non of them looked friendly.

"'Albel the Presumptuous'!" Nel muttered, pausing briefly to catch her breath. "If it weren't for you, Albel Nox, I wouldn't be down here in the first place..."

"...and if it weren't you, Nel Zelpher, I wouldn't be fighting for my life to get out of here and back to the world outside... because now, I think I know where I'm needed." The swordsman gave a wry grin and wiped a line of scarlet from his bleeding lip. "It's going to be tough, but we're going to make it, as long as we try... together."

"Together."

With a brief glance, a half-smile and a firm nod, they drew their blades, cried out,and charged.


End file.
